Mission: Impossible
by The Lionhearted Phoenix
Summary: When Ginny, pregnant with her second child, unexpectedly goes into labour while Harry is on a dangerous secret mission in Brazil, everyone must try to get Harry back home before she gives birth. Presented in three parts.
1. Part I

**A/N: I do not own Harry Potter. Or Mission: Impossible. I just liked the title. Sorry.**

 **Part I**

The wizard emerged from the midnight-blue tent, shaking his shaggy blonde hair out of his eyes. He was waiting for something; he looked around continually as he casually made his way to a large rock and sat upon it. He looked bored for a moment before something cracked in the distance and his head snapped up, his beady eyes scouring the woods before him. Deciding it must have been an animal, he returned to his bored state.

Something rustled by his feet, shifting dead leaves aside as it slithered by, and in one swift movement the wizard's thick arm swung down and captured a small yellow and black snake. It writhed in his hand, and he guffawed as he brought it close to his face. " _Be a good little snake or I'll pull your little head off,"_ he crooned to the squirming creature in a strange, hissing tone. The snake seemed to understand somehow and went limp in the wizard's hand, defeated.

"Guerra!" came a shout, and the wizard looked up. A taller, cloaked wizard was emerging from the trees, tucking his wand into his robes. "Put it away, Guerra," the wizard snapped, his cold, pale eyes boring into the first wizard's dark ones. "Those silly creatures won't do you any good."

The wizard called Guerra grunted and set the snake down, where it slithered away gratefully into the trees, narrowly missing one messy-haired, green-eyed wizard who was crouching behind a rather wide oak.

The crouching wizard fumbled in his bag for a moment, cursing under his breath as he sorted frantically through the mess inside. The wizards by the tent had continued their discussion:

"Is everything in order?" asked the taller of the two.

"Just as you wanted. The others are in place to finish the job tomorrow."

"Good work, Guerra, very good, indeed."

The green-eyed wizard finally succeeded in extracting a purple package from his bag, which he immediately tore open, stuffing the squishy contents inside his ears with a grimace. He slipped the package, embossed with the letters _WWW_ , back into the bag, leaning a little further around the tree to better hear the wizards whose language was suddenly completely comprehensible to him.

"You'll see, Guerra," said the taller wizard, smiling malevolently. "Once he is dead, Brazil will be ours."

* * *

"Oh, not you again," said Ginny exasperatedly as she swung the door open.

Her mother regarded her with a rather disapproving eye. "Is that any way to greet your mother?" she sniffed, and Ginny, though rather annoyed, gave in.

"Oh, all right then, come in," said Ginny, sighing, and her mother stalked past her into the sitting room. "I only wish you lot wouldn't come and check on me every two minutes," she added as she closed the door, hoisting James, who had been tugging at her skirt, into her arms.

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about," said Molly disdainfully, settling herself into a rather squashy armchair. "I've only come to see my favourite daughter –"

"I'm your only daughter!"

"– and this is the welcome I get? It's shameful, Ginny," Molly finished, folding her arms with an irritated "hmph!".

Ginny softened slightly and set James on the couch, lowering herself down beside him. He immediately slid off the couch and toddled over to the toy bin in the corner, tipping it over and pulling out his favourite stuffed Quaffle.

"All right, I'm sorry," Ginny said, putting her hand on her mother's. "It's just that with all of you popping in ten times a day I can hardly get anything done."

"We're only looking out for you, dear," said Molly stiffly, still apparently rather offended.

"And I appreciate it, I really do," Ginny told her honestly, "but I'm not made of glass. I can manage a few days without Harry."

"You're due any day now, Ginny," said her mother, and Ginny laughed.

"You don't have to remind me," she said ruefully, rubbing her swollen belly. "This little bugger lets me know about fifty times a day that he's too big for his home in there." As she spoke, the baby kicked her in the ribs, and she winced. "Point taken," she told her belly. "If I happen to run into my uterus, I'll tell it to move things along."

Molly chuckled, and Ginny managed a smile despite her discomfort. "I remember when I was pregnant with the twins – the two of them kicking me in the ribs, always making mischief in there!" Her smile faded for a moment, her expression clouding, but a moment later she smiled again, albeit not as brightly as before. "In any case, you need to take it easy," she told her daughter. "Save your energy for the birth; you'll need it."

"I won't be giving birth until a week after Harry gets back," said Ginny calmly. "And then he'll be here to help with everything."

"Just because James came on time doesn't mean this baby will, too," warned Molly. "He might turn up today or tomorrow, you never know."

"I haven't had any contractions yet, Mum," Ginny said patiently. "Everything will be fine. Now will you tell the rest of my insufferable brothers to stop dropping in every two seconds?"

Molly sighed. "I suppose so." She stood up, gathering her purse and coat. "You'll Floo if anything happens?"

"Of course," said Ginny, kissing her mother on the cheek. "Take care."

"You, too, darling," said Molly, smiling. She bent and kissed the top of James's head – he ignored her and went on playing with his toys, and Ginny chuckled.

"He takes after his father," she said, grinning.

She walked her mother to the door and watched from the doorway as Molly walked down the pathway, stopped at a particular spot several feet from the house, and Disapparated. Shivering in the late night April chill, Ginny shut the door and headed back to the sitting room, where she stifled a laugh at the sight before her. James had fallen asleep in his heap of toys and was absentmindedly sucking on the handle of his toy broomstick. Smiling, Ginny knelt down (with difficulty) and gently picked her son up, pulling the broomstick away as she murmured in his ear, "It's time for bed, love."

He stirred slightly in her arms, mumbling words of nonsense, and laid his head on her shoulder. She slowly carried him up the stairs, slightly out of breath due to the baby sitting under her ribs. James was asleep by the time Ginny laid him in his cot, but he rolled to the side and unconsciously reached for the stuffed hippogriff he never slept without, his little hand closing on it as his breathing slowed and evened.

Ginny laid a kiss on her son's head, smoothing back his untidy black hair, and then left the room as quietly as she could, shutting the door behind her. She put a hand on her belly for a moment, grimacing; it was hard as a rock and quite tight, causing her a great deal of discomfort. She rubbed it in an attempt to get it to loosen, and after a few moments the skin became soft again, and the pressure on her ribs eased. She sighed and trudged to her own room, laying down on the bed. There was a mountain of dishes in the kitchen sink and laundry to be folded, but what she wanted more than anything right now was to _sleep_.

Actually, what she wanted more than anything was to have her husband next to her.

She sighed and rolled onto her side, falling asleep within moments.

* * *

"So?" said Ron, looking up as Harry entered the tent. "What did you find out?"

Harry ran his fingers through his hair and sat down beside Ron, with Dean Thomas on his other side. The five Aurors sat clustered around the small dining table, poring over research notes and photographs.

"I'd wager it's nothing," said Seamus Finnigan dismissively. "They've pulled this sort of rubbish before, haven't they?"

"Well, it's not nothing," said Harry seriously, running his fingers through his hair again. "The tip-off was right. They're planning something big."

"That's ridiculous," said Ernie Macmillan, folding his arms. "In fact, this entire mission is ridiculous, in _my_ opinion. What have these blokes ever gotten in trouble for? Selling Dark artifacts and Muggle-baiting, which –"

"Which are rather serious crimes, too," said Dean quietly.

Harry nodded at Dean and continued. "It doesn't matter if you don't think they're up to something, Ernie," he said, addressing the blond man across from him. "We had a confidential tip-off, and it's our duty to investigate it."

"But –"

"If it doesn't come to anything, you'll be lucky to go home early," Harry interrupted. "And as it happens, it _has_ come to something." He shook his head, not quite sure where to start. "I wish I'd found out more," he said finally. "I only got the Translation Tar out as they were finishing up."

Ron grinned. "I'll tell George it was useful," he said, and Harry grimaced.

"Tell him I've still got tar in my ears," he said ruefully, and the others chuckled. "But what I found out," said Harry, sobering as he leaned forward, "was..." He took a deep breath and swallowed.

"They're going to kill someone," he said finally.

* * *

A tight pressure in her belly forced Ginny awake, and she groaned, glancing at the clock; it was half past three in the morning. She muttered darkly to herself as she rolled over, rubbing her belly. The taut skin loosened slightly before tightening again. She sat up slowly, placing her hands on her belly. She could feel the baby moving slightly, but not kicking as energetically as he usually did. She waited a few minutes and then felt another tightening, this time accompanied by a wave of pain in her lower back. She stifled a moan, placing her hands on either side of her to steady herself.

It was only after her belly had loosened again that she became aware of the dampness beneath her. Frowning, she turned on the lamp and blinked in the sudden bright light, trying to focus on the bed. When her eyes had adjusted slightly, she slid out of bed and pulled the covers back.

Where she had been sleeping there was a wide damp spot. She felt her nightclothes; they were wet as well, particularly below her belly.

"Damn it," Ginny muttered under her breath.

She set about gathering her things, Summoning her hospital bag from the closet along with a fresh set of clothes. After changing quickly and tucking her wand inside her clean robes, she lifted the bag and went across the hall to James's room, feeling slightly guilty.

"James?" she whispered, shaking her son gently. "James, darling, wake up."

He murmured in his sleep and opened his wide brown eyes, blinking owlishly at her. "Mumma?" he said sleepily. "Wan sleep..."

"I know, sweetheart, but Mummy needs you to wake up." She helped him sit up, trying to ignore the dull pain beginning in her back. He held his arms out and she lifted him out of his cot, rocking him gently to soothe him. "Come with Mummy, James," she said, holding his hand, and they walked down the stairs together to the fireplace.

"Hold tight, now, James," she told him, and he clung to her leg as she scooped up a bit of Floo powder and tossed it into the fire. "St Mungo's!" she cried, and the fire lit up green. With James still hanging onto her leg, she stepped into the fire.

As they whirled past several fireplaces, James whimpered in fear and Ginny held his head against her belly, protecting him from the walls of the fireplace. At last the fireplace of St Mungo's spun into view, and Ginny and James toppled out just as another contraction hit. Biting back a cry of pain, Ginny made her way awkwardly to the front desk. So early in the morning, the hospital was nearly deserted save the few Healers moving through the hallways and the receptionist at the desk, who was nodding off with her chin propped against her hand as a quill scratched across several rolls of parchment absently, scrawling squiggles across all sorts of formal-looking documents.

"Excuse me," said Ginny, and when the receptionist didn't wake, she cleared her throat loudly. "Oi!"

The receptionist awoke with a snort, her glasses sliding down her face.

"Mmph? Yes, how may I help you?" She pushed her glasses back up, stifling a yawn as she glanced at Ginny and did a double take.

"I'm in labour," said Ginny, trying not to moan in pain. "Could I have a room, please?"

The receptionist just stared. "You're – you're Ginny Potter," said the receptionist, awestruck.

"Believe it or not, I already know that," said Ginny irritably. "Now if you could kindly stop gawping at me and find me a room, that would be bloody fantastic."

The receptionist shook her head to clear it, still clearly starstruck. She glanced down at her documents and shuffled them for a moment. Ginny, beginning to feel impatient as pain filled her body, fought the urge to snap at her. "Room 203 is free. Just down the hall and to the right," she said, marking Ginny's name down on a bit of parchment.

"Thank you," said Ginny curtly, and, taking James's hand, walked down the hallway to room 203 and pushed the door open. She set her bag in the corner and leaned against the bedframe, breathing heavily through the pain.

"Mumma?" said James, tugging at her robes. "Mumma okee?"

"I'm fine, sweetheart," said Ginny, slightly breathlessly as she went to sit on the edge of the bed. "Your little brother's just giving me a bit of trouble, that's all."

"Al," said James, patting Ginny's belly, and she smiled.

"That's right, James," she said, putting her hand on top of his. "Al. Your little brother. You can meet him very soon. Would you like that?"

"Al!" said James, hugging his mother and placing a kiss on her belly. "Hi!" he whispered to the bump, and Ginny chuckled.

"You need to go back to sleep," she told him, pulling out her wand and conjuring a small cot for him to sleep in. She lifted him and placed him gently in the cot, where he curled up, yawning.

The door opened behind her as she sat back down on the edge of the bed, leaning into another contraction. "I heard there's a baby coming!" trilled Ginny's Healer.

She tried to smile, but it turned out as more of a grimace. "That's what I've been told," she said dryly, and the Healer chuckled.

"Have your waters broken yet?" she asked as she motioned for Ginny to lie on the bed and spread her legs.

"Yes, at around three this morning," said Ginny.

"Well, you're dilated to a four," the Healer said, checking her. "It should progress quite quickly from here."

"Lovely," said Ginny, wincing. "Would you mind finding my family and husband?"

"We'll try to contact them," the Healer promised, and then she slipped through the doors, leaving Ginny only with her own thoughts and the nagging sense that something was not quite right.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, this was meant to be a oneshot. Somewhere during the process of writing this I developed a convoluted plot that involved many turns, and it became a threeshot. (Okay, it's not that convoluted or surprising, to be honest, but it does have a few twists!) Part two of three should be up next week, or if I get reviews requesting it earlier. Hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Part II

**Part II**

"This is boring," Ron complained.

Harry glanced over at his friend, exasperated. "We're on a top secret mission to stop a terrible thing from occurring, and are currently spying on two possibly dangerous wizards who might come out and kill us all, and you're _bored_?"

"Yeah, well, if something actually happened at least it'd be exciting," Ron muttered, blowing a piece of hair out of his eyes.

"You'd better hope nothing exciting happens," said Harry darkly. "That usually means we're about to start fighting for our lives."

"Fighting's more interesting than waiting and watching," said Ron mulishly, and Harry shook his head disbelievingly.

"After all the time we spent trying to get _out_ of danger, you want to jump right back into it?"

"Face it, mate, you wouldn't be an Auror if you didn't like the danger," said Ron pointedly, and Harry scowled.

"That is _not_ true," he said, and Ron smirked, much to Harry's annoyance. Before Harry could justify himself, there was a snap behind them. He whirled around immediately, automatically muttering, " _Lumos_!"

The wand tip illuminated and caught the movement of a figure darting behind a tree. With a significant look towards Ron, as if to say, _told you so_ , Harry advanced, raising his wand so the beam fell further ahead. Quietly, he and Ron split up, Harry going to the left of the tree and Ron to the right. Harry silently counted back from three, knowing Ron was doing the same, and then they both dove around the tree and tackled the figure. Harry caught a glimpse of mousy brown hair and small facial features before his wand fell from his hand and the light was extinguished.

The three of them rolled downhill, tangled in each other, before Harry at last gained the upper hand and forced the man onto his back, trapping the man's limbs with his own hands and knees. Ron muttered a spell and then there was suddenly light again, shining directly on the man's face.

Harry had not seen that face in years, yet there was something oddly familiar about it: brown eyes, wavy brown hair, the faint trace of a once joyful, round face...

" _Dennis_?" he said incredulously.

* * *

"What do you mean, you can't find him?" Ginny demanded, screwing her face up in pain as another timely contraction hit. " _Where the hell is my husband_?"

"We're looking, ma'am," said the young Healer, backing away hastily. "It's just that only the Auror office can contact him –"

"So ask _them_!" Ginny shouted, and her mother rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. Hermione mopped her sister-in-law's forehead with a damp towel. Ginny took the time in which the Healer was timidly silent to be glad that James was not in the room for her shouts to wake him up; he was currently with Ginny's father, sleeping happily, according to the last update.

"Well, we did," said the Healer tentatively, "and it seems that the mission was so minor that the Head of Office didn't think to establish contact once they'd arrived, so –"

"Did anyone think to mention," said Ginny, breathing heavily, "that one of the Aurors' wives was due to give birth any day?"

"I don't think they thought of that, ma'am," said the Healer meekly, and Ginny swelled with anger.

" _Find him_!" she shouted, and the Healer jumped and rushed out of the room, his robes flying behind him. Ginny inhaled deeply through her nose and exhaled as the contraction ended. "Where is he?" she moaned. She glanced at Hermione. "You don't think –"

"Ginny, he'll be fine," Hermione cut in, patting Ginny's hand reassuringly. "Ron's with him, after all, they'll watch each other's backs. And we'd know if something happened."

"Bloody – Head – Auror – doesn't even – know where his – employees – are," Ginny panted, wincing as her back twinged in pain.

"They'll try a Patronus next, Ginny," said Molly soothingly, "and if that doesn't work that means Harry's in a protected area where they can't reach him. He's perfectly safe."

"But they have to find him!" cried Ginny as another wave of pain came over her. "He's got to be here!"

"They'll find him, Ginny, there's got to be some way," said Hermione, and Ginny let out a little moan.

"Well, I hope so," she said, and then she gritted her teeth, bracing herself for the next contraction.

* * *

"I've been bouncing between the Americas since the war ended," said Dennis Creevey, folding his hands around his steaming cup of tea. He, Harry, Ron, and the other Aurors were sitting around the table as Dennis recounted his tale. "I thought I'd try to make peace with some of the foreign wizards, you know? Especially because it's what Colin always said he'd wanted to do..."

He trailed off for a moment and Harry bit his lip hard, trying to stave away memories of that night. "Anyway, I was taking a walk through the woods about a week ago when I stumbled across that tent of theirs. I don't think their protective charms are as good as these, because I could hear them fairly clearly. They were planning to kill the Brazilian Minister of Magic."

There was a collective hiss as the Aurors all inhaled sharply. Dennis nodded grimly. "I went straight to the Ministry, of course, but they didn't believe me. Said these two have been pulling rubbish like this for years."

"That's what I said," Seamus muttered.

"Well, I had the idea to send in a tip to the British Ministry," Dennis went on.

"That was _you_?" Harry said, taken aback.

Dennis grinned. "Yeah. I thought you'd at least investigate, but I wasn't sure, so I've been tailing the two for a week now. I found out their names, too – the big one that plays with snakes is called Brutus Guerra. The taller one's name is Benedito Fonseca."

Harry nodded distractedly; this he mostly knew from the investigation file. "Did you find out anything else?" he asked, pressing Dennis for the details.

Dennis furrowed his brow. "Yes...they've got a few followers, I'd say a dozen or so, but they haven't been around the last few days. I think they're staking out the Ministry."

Harry bit his lip, thinking hard. "So it's just the two of them...against six of us..."

He glanced up at the others, who were watching him closely. "I say we capture them," he said. "Tonight."

* * *

Ginny bit back a cry of pain as her belly contracted forcefully. "They're – getting closer," she gasped out.

"You're nearly dilated to nine centimetres," said the Healer as she covered Ginny back up with the bedsheet. "It shouldn't be long now."

"No –" Ginny panted, "I can wait – until – Harry gets here."

"The staff is working to find him, Mrs Potter, but even if we do find him, it's unlikely he'll reach in time," said the Healer gently. "I think you should prepare yourself to give birth without your husband."

"I won't do it without Harry!" said Ginny forcefully, squeezing her mother's and Hermione's hands as a wave of pain washed over her.

"You've got to, Ginny," said Molly softly, stroking her daughter's hair. "The baby is coming whether Harry's here or not."

"No!" Ginny cried. "Not – without – Harry!"

She could almost feel Molly, Hermione, and the Healer exchanging glances as she squeezed her eyes shut against the pain and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Just find him," she begged. " _Please_."

* * *

Harry, the four Aurors, and Dennis crept silently down the hill towards the clearing in which the tent stood. They were moving in total darkness, too close to the tent to risk lighting their wands, and the foliage of the woods too thick to allow moonlight. Harry motioned to the others to follow him and peered out from behind the same wide oak he had been spying from earlier that evening. The tent glowed slightly, and Harry nodded in satisfaction; at least one of the wizards was inside. Harry looked closer; judging by the moving shadows on the canvas, it seemed that both wizards were within the tent. Harry skirted around the tree, the others following close behind, and began to advance.

"Remember – don't attack unless we have to," Harry whispered to the others. "Bind them if you must, or Stun them."

He felt the others nod, rather than saw, and moved forward slowly, then stopped abruptly. A strange, continuous rustling had reached his ears, and with the others frozen behind him, it could not be any of them. He squinted in the darkness, finally catching the faint figure of a small serpent as it slithered past them and entered the tent.

And in that moment, the air changed and Harry felt a sickening sense of doom.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath.

There was a loud _crack_ and a hooded figure appeared suddenly in front of them, its wand raised. "GO!" Harry shouted, and the Aurors and Dennis scattered, running back towards the campsite, but there was another series of _cracks_ and then they were surrounded, outnumbered two to one, as the hooded figures closed in.

* * *

"Mrs Potter," the Healer instructed in a calm, even tone, "you need to push."

She shook her head violently. "Not – until – Harry – gets – here," she panted, sweating with the effort.

"You can do this, Ginny," Hermione assured her, squeezing her hand. "You can do it without Harry –"

"No – I – can't!" Ginny screamed, wrenching her hand out of Hermione's, and with the next wave of pain came a wave of tears, mingling with the sweat on her face. "I can't, not without Harry – he was here for James's birth and I – I can't – I can't –"

"Think of the baby, Ginny," Molly urged. "You have to do what's best for him."

"NO!" Ginny shrieked, and her voice broke. "I need Harry, just find Harry!"

* * *

A jet of green light flew over Harry's head, so close to his scalp that he smelled singed hair. He dodged another jet of light, this time red, as he ran towards the tent. Dean Thomas was battling two hooded figures at once, and as Harry passed, he Stunned one of them, the figure crumpling to the ground like paper, and bound the other in tight ropes. "Thanks!" shouted Dean, but Harry had no time to acknowledge him as he darted around fights and skidded to a halt in front of the tent.

He immediately went to work, setting up anti-Disapparation spells around the entire clearing and fusing the flaps of the tent together. Just as he was melting the bottom flap with the base of the tent, a hand shot out from between the folds and grabbed his ankle. He went down with a shout, his wand flying out of his hand. As he scrabbled to snatch it up again, a hole began to burn in the centre of the cloth, creating an opening wide enough for the two wizards to climb out. Harry finally located his wand and scrambled to his feet, facing off against the two wizards.

"I should have known the British were behind this," said the taller of the two in accented English, pointing his wand directly between Harry's eyebrows. "They never know when to keep their noses out of things." His companion snorted with laughter.

"I know what you're planning to do!" Harry shouted over the cacophony of bellowed spells. "I know you're planning to kill the Minister!"

The wizards broke into laughter.

"Yes, but when you are dead, who will warn him?" said Fonseca, leering at him. He glanced at the other. "I'll leave this one to you, Guerra," he said, and the other wizard grinned.

Harry shot a Stunner at Fonseca, but the taller wizard dodged it and took off, blending quickly into the mass of spells and wizards fighting on the hill. Guerra advanced, and before Harry could do more than raise his wand, the wizard backhanded him across the face, sending him toppling into the pile of dead leaves at his feet.

Guerra guffawed and put a heavy foot on Harry's chest; Harry struggled to breathe as he tried to force the wizard's foot away. The broad wizard reached down and grasped Harry's left wrist, bending it further back, back, back –

" _Relashio_!" Harry shouted, and the wizard released him with a hiss of pain. Harry sent a Stunner but the wizard dodged easily, still laughing.

" _Impedimenta_!" said Guerra, and Harry was thrown backward, the wind knocked out of him. When he was able to sit up again, Guerra had his wand in the air, and was grinning maliciously.

And then an enormous cobra exploded from the tip of his wand.

It landed with a crash that shook the very earth, raising its gargantuan head off the ground and flattening its hood. It was at least ten feet tall, and its body was as thick as a telephone booth. It hissed as loudly as a thunderstorm as it towered over Harry, who, frozen in shock, thought it looked as though it had found a very good meal.

And although Harry could no longer understand Parseltongue, when Guerra spoke a single word Harry knew exactly what it was.

" _Attack_."

The cobra reared up and struck.

* * *

She knew she must push – they were all telling her to. And yet as contraction after contraction came over her she could not find the strength, for all her strength came from Harry, and all his from her. And without him there, she _could not do it_.

"Please, Ginny," her mother begged, stroking her hair, "you've got to push, for the baby. He won't make it if you wait any longer."

"I can't," Ginny cried, her knuckles whitening as she fisted her hands in the bedsheet, her nails digging into her palms. "I can't do it, Mum, I can't!"

"You are strong enough," said Molly firmly. "You can do this."

Ginny took a shuddering breath and exhaled. She was shaking all over from the strain that not pushing was causing her. "He's not coming," she whispered, and then fresh tears cascaded onto her cheeks. "He must be d-dead, mustn't he?" she sobbed, choking on her tears. "That's why he's n-not answering. He w-would have answered. He's – he's – oh, _God..._ "

And then she began to push.


	3. Part III

**Part III**

The cobra's fangs sliced into the earth exactly where Harry had been lying a moment before. He rolled over again and staggered to his feet, his wand at the ready. The cobra lifted its great head from the ground, leaving gouges in the dirt the size of cars, and then struck again as Harry dived out of the way.

He could vaguely hear shouting as the other wizards panicked. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see several of them spinning on the spot and finding themselves unable to Disapparate. The momentary distraction seemed to be working to his side's advantage; ropes flew out of several wands and wrapped themselves around many of the hooded figures.

Harry very nearly paid for his lapse in concentration as the cobra's fangs landed inches from him. He sent a stream of spells at it, all of which bounced off its scaly skin and dissipated into thin air. It slithered forward, covering more ground in a second than Harry could in five. He stumbled back as quickly as he could and dodged out of the way as the cobra's great fangs sliced into the earth in front of him. He sent another spell at the great serpent, but the jet of light ricocheted and hit a tree, causing it to explode into flames.

Guerra laughed and urged the snake on: " _Attack_!"

The snake advanced, hissing wildly, and Harry backed up so quickly that he tripped and landed sprawled on his back. He could hear someone laughing and squinted past the enormous serpent, able to make out the silhouette of Benedito Fonseca from the firelight.

Then the snake hissed and turned its head, and Harry, following its gaze, saw that Ron had shot ropes at Guerra, and that he was falling, writhing in his bindings. As Fonseca ran to save his companion, Harry shouted, " _Incarcerous_!" and the second wizard fell.

And then several things happened at once: a blue light shot down from the sky and as Harry spun around it materialised itself in front of him into a small dog, opening its mouth to say, " _Dear Mr Potter, this message is on behalf of St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, we are contacting you because your wife_ –"

And Harry was so in shock that he did not hear Guerra's strange spitting noise, did not hear Ron's shout of "HARRY! LOOK OUT!", did not hear the loud hissing sound behind him.

There was an awful, sickening pain, the terrible feeling of something shearing through his innards, the warm gush of liquid down his body –

And then everything went black.

* * *

Ginny gave another great push, gripping Hermione's and her mother's hands so tightly that she knew she would feel guilty about it later. At the moment, however, there was nothing but an icy numbness where her heart should have been. She could feel it in her gut, that feeling that something was terribly, horribly wrong and that Harry was in serious danger, if not dead already.

The thought shook her more than her next contraction, but she pushed again, a sob escaping her throat. If he died while she was giving birth to his son, how could she face her children again? Especially if this one looked as much like him as James did...

"We've found him!" a Healer shouted, bursting into the room, and Ginny looked up, startled. "He was in Brazil on a mission and was badly injured –"

"What?" Ginny gasped, her heart stilling in her chest. "He's –"

"They're bringing him here, ma'am – it appears he got your message just before he was injured, and the other Aurors saw it and thought to rush him here instead of the nearest hospital in Brazil – of course, they had to stabilize him first, as he'd lost a lot of blood –"

"Oh, God," Ginny tried to say, but all that escaped her throat was a dry whimper.

"Will he be all right?" she heard Hermione ask as if from a distance.

"Dunno, ma'am – it doesn't look good –"

And Ginny could stand it no longer. All the emotions she had held back over the last few hours came crashing down on her, and she let out a strangled, sobbing scream as she pushed her child out and into the world.

* * *

Ginny dozed fitfully, her dreams woven through with blood and the metallic taste of fear. She was deep in a dream in which Harry, covered in blood, was reaching for the baby in her arms, when a shriek awoke her.

"Oh my – Ron!"

She peeled her eyes open, blinking slowly, and gasped as she caught sight of the figure in the doorway. For a moment she was certain that she was still dreaming, that her husband was standing in front of her, drenched in blood – then she realised that the figure had no glasses, and his eyes were decidedly bluer.

"Ron," she breathed.

Hermione was on her feet beside Ginny's bed. "What – Ron –"

"It's not my blood," said Ron gently, and Hermione swallowed hard and hurled herself at him, throwing her arms around him as she buried her face in his shoulder. He stroked her hair, but his eyes were fixed on Ginny.

She took a deep breath. "Tell me," she said firmly.

Taking Hermione's hand, Ron led her to the chairs by the bed and sat in one, lowering his shaking wife into the other. And then he began to tell Ginny everything.

* * *

"HARRY! LOOK OUT!"

It was too late; even as Ron shot a silencing spell at Guerra, running towards the bound wizard, the cobra reared up again and dived towards Harry.

Its fangs sliced through the air and drove straight through Harry, whose back arched as blood erupted from him. Before he could even scream, his body slackened and he crumpled to the ground.

Ron felt as though all the breath had left him. He changed direction, charging towards the enormous cobra. It reared again and Ron snatched Harry off the ground a split second before the cobra's fangs split the earth again and dirt exploded around it. Ron half-dragged, half-carried Harry towards the edge of the clearing, trying to hold the wound closed. Hot blood spilled over his fingertips and Harry's face turned a sickly, grayish colour.

The cobra's ugly head whipped through the air, following Ron's movements. Its tongue flickered between its fangs, and its hood flattened. Ron knew exactly what it was going to do a moment before it did it.

The cobra dove towards him, and Ron's wand was wedged between him and Harry, and he knew this was how he was going to die, and he closed his eyes, bracing himself –

And something bright flared through his eyelids, and he heard a crackling roar. He opened his eyes a crack, and then a bit wider, staring.

Dennis Creevey stood in front of the cobra, brandishing a flaming rope at it. The cobra hissed and retreated, its enormous body slithering across dead leaves. Dennis waved his wand over his head and the rope swung up like a lasso and secured itself around the cobra's neck.

The rope tightened so much that Ron could hardly see it. Then there was a sickening squelching noise, and the cobra's head fell to the ground with a crash that shook the whole ground. Its body followed, slumping to the earth, thick black blood oozing out of it.

There was a small cough and Ron looked down, startled. He had forgotten about Harry, and now his stomach seemed to fill with lead. Harry had gone a strange pasty colour, his lips nearly white, and he was shivering violently, ragged gasps escaping him.

"No," Ron muttered, laying Harry on the ground and stripping off his own jacket. He pressed it to the wound, staunching some of the blood, but within seconds it was soaked. "No, no, _no_!" he said again, his voice rising to a shout. "NO!"

"Ron – is Harry –"

"Get him a Healer!" Ron shouted at Dennis, who ran off immediately. Ron's hands were shaking so badly he could hardly press them against Harry's stomach. "Damn it, Harry, Voldemort couldn't kill you and I'll be damned if an effing snake does!"

Harry gave a shuddering gasp, his breath hitching. "Jn...n..." His chest heaved as blood pooled around Ron's hands.

"Don't you dare die on me," Ron snapped, applying more pressure. "Don't you effing dare!"

"Jn...nee..."

"Ron!"

He didn't look up. The colour was rapidly draining from Harry's skin, and he gave another cough. Ron's hands fisted in his jacket, which was drenched in warm blood.

"Ron, the Healers..."

He was aware of someone trying to move him out of the way, but he stayed put. "No," he gasped. "No, he's –"

"The Healers will take him, now, Ron, he'll be all right."

There was a pair of small hands on his shoulders, but they were surprisingly firm; they gripped him beneath the arms and hoisted him up. His jacket fell from his numb hands, covering Harry like a shroud.

"No..."

"Ron, it's all right, they're taking him to the hospital now –"

"No – St. Mungo's..."

"What?"

Ron turned and looked Dennis in the eye. "His wife's giving birth. He needs to go to St. Mungo's."

"I'll tell them." Dennis released Ron, who swayed on the spot. He watched Dennis through a film of shock as he ran towards the green-robed Healers and spoke to them in rapid Portuguese. They shook their heads, clearly against the idea, but Dennis said something else to them and they glanced at each other and then nodded.

White strips of cloth shot out of their wands and bound themselves around Harry. Small spots of blood began to grow on them, but Harry was bleeding less profusely and his breathing seemed to have eased slightly. The Healers told Dennis something, and he nodded, moving back over to where Ron was still standing, his body shaking.

"They're going to stabilize him and then take him to the hospital," said Dennis, putting a hand on Ron's shoulder. "He'll be all right."

"You were amazing," Ron blurted out, his voice hoarse. "With the snake. That was incredible."

Dennis blushed. "Oh, it was nothing," he said modestly, his ears turning pink. "Anyway," he added, rubbing his hands together. "What do you say we wrap this case up?"

"Oh, we'll wrap it up," said Ron darkly, his hand tightening around his wand. "Now, which of these wizards should we hex first?"

* * *

Ginny had been biting her lip throughout the entire story, and it was now bleeding slightly, but she didn't seem to notice. "It's my fault," she whispered. "If I hadn't kept telling them to find him –"

"It isn't your fault," Ron mumbled shamefacedly. "If I had Silenced the damn Parselmouth he couldn't have given the command." He shook his head to clear it. "Anyway, after that we gathered all the wizards up and then I came back here. I think the other Aurors have gone to see Kingsley – he's rather irritated that the bloody Head of Office didn't think to find a way to contact us." He grinned. "I'd love to see the look on that man's face when Kingsley –"

"Ron," Ginny interrupted, "my husband?"

"Oh, right," said Ron, sobering. "Well, I've just been in to see him, and he's pretty badly hurt." Ginny held her breath, waiting. "They managed to extract all the venom and start healing the wounds, though, so...it looks like he's going to make it." Ginny exhaled in relief, the anxious pressure over her breaking. "Anyway, he'll be all right, but where's my nephew?"

He leaned forward excitedly, and Ginny couldn't help but smile, albeit wearily. "He's –" she began, but it appeared she did not need to finish her sentence. At that moment Albus woke up and began to cry, his wails filling the small room in seconds.

"I'll get him," said Ron, starting up, but Ginny stopped him.

"Thanks, Ron, but I don't really want my son's first glimpse of you to give him nightmares," she said, and Ron, glancing down at his bloodstained clothes, seemed to agree and sat back down. "Hermione, would you mind?" asked Ginny, and Hermione nodded, standing shakily and going over to the cot in the corner.

She lifted him gently and brought him to his mother, who folded her arms around him, cradling him gently. She shushed him, rocking him back and forth, until he quieted. "He's not as fussy as James," said Ginny, smiling down at her son. "He just likes a bit of peace."

BANG.

The doors crashed open and Ginny jumped, Albus beginning to wail again in her arms. She soothed him, glaring over his little head at whoever had just opened the doors so unceremoniously.

Her lips parted in surprise.

The Healers were wheeling in another hospital bed, and on it was –

"Harry," she breathed.

He smiled up at her from his lying-down position on the bed. His chest was heavily bandaged, the white spotting through with red, but he was awake and he was _alive_ and he was here.

"We'll give you some privacy," Ron murmured, and he led Hermione out of the room.

Ginny took Harry's hand as the Healers wheeled his bed right next to hers and squeezed his fingers, drawing strength from him. He shifted slightly to see her better and gazed up into her eyes.

"Hey," he said.

She let out a strangled sort of laugh. "'Hey'?" she repeated incredulously. "You nearly died and you just come in here and say 'hey'?"

"Well, what would you like me to say?" asked Harry, a smile playing around his lips.

"I'd like you to say, 'Sorry I left, Ginny, and I promise that next time you're about to go into labour I'll be right next to you,'" said Ginny huffily, and Harry grinned.

"Fine. Sorry I left, Ginny, and I promise that next time you're about to go into labour I'll be right next to you," said Harry, and Ginny laughed.

"Thank you," she said, entwining her fingers with his. "I'll be holding you to that."

"I wouldn't expect anything else," said Harry, smiling. She smiled, too, and kissed him, pouring all the unspoken words of gratitude and joy and love into his lips.

"Would you like to see him?" she whispered.

"Of course," he whispered back.

She moved over slightly and shifted Albus in her arms. He had quieted again, but had not fallen back asleep, and his eyes were open and gazing around the room.

"I think he'll have your eyes," said Ginny softly, and Harry smiled slightly.

"Poor kid," he said, and they both chuckled.

"I like your eyes," Ginny told him.

"I like your hair," he murmured back.

"I like your lips."

Harry smiled. "Show me how much?" he said, and they kissed as Albus, between them, yawned and fell asleep.

All was well.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you all so much for the support on this story! What began as a 500-word oneshot became an 8000-word threeshot with 6 reviews, 7 favourites, and 18 follows. I would greatly appreciate it if you would leave a review for me - I read every single one of them and they always make me so happy! I hope you enjoyed this little plot-bunny, and as always, happy reading!**


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